Jefferson Graham
USA Today

SAN FRANCISCO — The big idea came on a trip: Ted Morgan and Michael Shean used Wi-Fi signals in their travels so often to pick up e-mail, they saw a business opportunity in their future.

What if they could figure out locations and directions via Wi-Fi signals instead of the more commonly used Global Positioning System (GPS)?

After discovering that it could work, they left their jobs at e-billing company eDocs and formed Skyhook Wireless in 2003. The Boston-based firm raised $16.8 million and signed up several partners to showcase the technology, including AOL and mapping firm Navteq.

Last week, Skyhook was thrust to center stage courtesy of Apple  CEO Steve Jobs. He not only demonstrated Skyhook at the Macworld conference here, but also gave a detailed and spirited explanation of how the technology works. “Isn’t that cool?” Jobs said. “It’s really cool.”

Now, users of the iPhone and the iPod Touch (an iPod that can pick up Wi-Fi signals) can find their location and, in conjunction with mapping information from Google, get instant directions. The feature is part of a software update that is free for the iPhone and $20 for current Touch owners.

The alliance and plug from Apple are “enormous for us,” Skyhook CEO Morgan says. “It’s a huge endorsement of the technology.”

Morgan won’t discuss terms but says Skyhook generally gets a royalty on each device sold, similar to how GPS tech companies work with device manufacturers.

USA TODAY caught up with Morgan and Shean during their Macworld visit. During our time together, we drove around the city to see if the iPhone really could tell we were near the Golden Gate Bridge, at Fisherman’s Wharf or cruising down zig-zaggy Lombard Street.

No wrong turns: Skyhook worked as advertised.

Morgan explained how the technology works: “Every Wi-Fi access point, whether public or private, sends out a signal every second or so, like a lighthouse. We pick up those signals and use our technology to calculate your exact location.”

What Skyhook does not do, Skyhook Vice President Shean says, is connect to those Wi-Fi networks. “We’re detecting, not connecting.”

To get the system up and running, Skyhook sent teams of drivers around the USA and Canada to map out hot spots; it now has 70% of North America covered. Skyhook vehicles now are cruising Europe and Asia to add to the database.

Skyhook’s system works best indoors and in urban settings, Morgan says, while GPS is better in areas with clear views of the open skies, to reach satellite signals. He believes device manufacturers will eventually use GPS and Wi-Fi together to serve customers.

Skyhook isn’t the only company touting GPS alternatives.

Google introduced its free “My Location” technology in late November, picking up its information from cellphone towers. Google’s offering works on a handful of Motorola (MOT) and Sony Ericsson phones, smartphones from BlackBerry  and “most” Windows  Mobile devices, Google says.

Apple uses both Skyhook and Google technology on the iPhone. It looks for Wi-Fi signals first, and if there are none, it switches to Google’s cell-tower information.

Targeting the mobile consumer

According to market tracker Strategy Analytics there will be 4.1 billion mobile phone subscribers by 2010, up from 3.1 billion in 2007.

Charles Golvin, an analyst at Forrester Research, says many phones sold by Verizon, Sprint, AT&T  and T-Mobile have some form of location information available, usually for an extra monthly fee.

With the iPhone deal behind him, Morgan’s goal for 2008 is to get other handset manufacturers to use his Wi-Fi technology, as a less expensive and what he deems more reliable alternative to GPS.

He’ll have a much easier time pulling this off than before, Golvin says.

“Getting the credibility associated with not just a well-liked company (Apple), but one with such huge visibility, is very significant,” he says. “And then to be associated with the iPhone as well makes it really extra special.”

Greg Sterling, an analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, sees the real potential of Skyhook’s instant-location technology in advertising.

The mobile consumer, he says, “is typically closer to a purchase than somebody sitting behind a desk.”

Marketers, he adds, “can figure out where the consumer is, and that makes it that much easier to sell them something. The advertising is directed to you.”

For the future, Morgan says, he wants to go beyond the phone and get Skyhook’s software on laptops and gaming and music devices: “every Wi-Fi-enabled device.”

A handful of music devices and cameras currently have Wi-Fi capability; most don’t. Morgan envisions his technology helping folks “geotag” photos (identify shots from trips to Florida and Canada as an organizational timesaver) and sync songs as a way of eliminating wires.

“You’re not going to buy these devices in the future if it doesn’t have directions or local services to it,” he says. “This is a huge opportunity for us.”

 

Sun

CANON FS100 FLASH MEMORY CAMCORDER, $500

Thinking about upgrading your camcorder? Or feeling left out of the rush to put your favourite videos online? Then the flash memory camcorders models should be on your list of ones to try out. Canon is releasing its new camcorders this April and look for the FS100 that has a 48x advanced zoom, a 1.07 megapixel CCD image sensor and a SDHC card (Secure Digital High Capacity) slot. It will be available in silver, navy and red.

BELKIN DESKTOP INTERNET PHONE FOR SKYPE, $100

If you’re among the 245 million users of Skype, here is Belkin’s latest phone that plugs into a wired or wireless router or an Ethernet port to let you start dialling those Skype calls. It has a speaker, speed dial, call hold and release, call pickup/park, mute and all the other bells and whistles like contacts and call-timer display. At www.belkin.com.

PACEMAKER, TONIUM LABORATORIES, 520 EUROS, ABOUT $780 CDN.

Billed as the first ‘professional pocket-sized DJ system,’ this lets you walk into a party with all your music stored on a 120-gigabyte Pacemaker hard drive. Plug it into a sound system and you’re an instant DJ. It lets you mix between tracks, use effects and the other tricks of the DJ trade. It also gives you Pacemaker Editor, downloadable software for Macs and PCs to play, edit and create mixes for your music. Expected out by mid-February. They’re taking pre-bookings at www.pacemaker.net.

USB RECHARGEABLE BATTERY, ABOUT $20 FOR TWO-PACK

Now here’s a new twist for the rechargeable battery. AA batteries from the folks at Kinlan who’ve brought us such other indispensable items as the USB beverage cooler. Power up by charging these batteries through the USB port on your computer or gaming console.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

 

Gillian Shaw
Sun

A secure Internet website no longer guarantees that consumers are safe from thieving hackers who can empty their bank accounts and pilfer their credit cards, British Columbia‘s Crime Prevention Association warned Thursday.

The association issued the warning following reports of the Silentbanker, a Trojan-horse virus that is stalking computers and giving hackers a front-row seat on transactions between banking customers and their financial institutions.

“This is an ominous threat for business when consumers can’t feel secure any longer,” said Valerie MacLean, executive director of the BC Crime Prevention Association.

“They will no longer be able to feel confident that the locked padlock symbol and the ‘S’ in the website address is actually a secure website.”

The Silentbanker virus performs an updated and considerably more sophisticated version of the age-old banking “phishing” scams, in which people are directed via e-mails to bogus banking sites that can pick up passwords and other critical financial and personal information.

The threat could spread beyond the 400-plus banks worldwide that have been targeted so far, according to the association.

“It can be a major headache for them and it’s not just the banks. The precedent has been set,” said Jeff Burton, the association’s manager of programs and projects.

“I don’t think we can safely say this is restricted to banks.

“The technique these hackers have used to pull this off could be applied to any e-commerce website, I would think.”

Since the Trojan is downloaded to individual computers, usually during routine Web-surfing, consumers have to look to their own computer security, not their bank’s, for protection.

The virus allows hackers to get between the computer user and the bank, so even if a banking client is looking at a secure banking screen with its authentication and the tiny padlock denoting security encryption, there is no guarantee a hacker isn’t picking up information or stealing money and directing it to another account.

“It is worse than phishing. We are not talking about unsolicited e-mails, we are talking about honest-Joe citizens who are doing their banking online and now we have to say to them, ‘Be very careful,'” said Burton.

“The only solution I see is to make sure all your anti-virus software is up to date and to be checking your balances way more frequently than perhaps you do now for any sign that someone has tapped into your bank account.”

The latest twist in online fraud has banks renewing their warnings their clients to update their computer security software and install any patches for such problems as flaws in website browsers and Windows operating systems.

Coast Capital Savings, which is investigating the threat, posted a warning on its website Thursday.

Leung said while there have been no reports of members of his credit union falling victim to Silentbanker, Coast Capital is advising people to ensure their computers are secure.

“The home user is not always aware of the importance of updating their computer,” he said. “If you are working for a company, those things are usually taken care of by the IT staff.

“There are various things you can do at home to protect yourself.”

Leung recommended computer users update their operating-system software, install a firewall and ensure their anti-virus software is updated.

The Canadian Bankers Association said banks here are aware of the new threat, which doesn’t target their networks but rather installs itself on individual computers.

“While banks have extensive security systems in place and work around the clock to protect customers from fraud, consumers have a role to play in protecting themselves as well,” the CBA said in a release. “Banks help by promoting awareness of online security and providing advice on how to make personal computers more secure.”

[email protected]

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Free to full-week print subscribers or sign up for a 7-day free trial. www.vancouversun.com/digital.

KEEPING SAFE ONLINE

Advice from the Canadian Bankers Association on avoiding online fraud:

– Install and maintain a firewall to guard against unwanted access to your computer.

– Install proven anti-virus, anti-spam and anti-spyware software and keep them updated.

– Install patches and updates to your operating system and applications as they become available from the manufacturers.

– Avoid using a public computer to do financial transactions.

– Log out of online transactions and clear the browser cache after you visit secure sites.

– Change your online banking password regularly, use hard-to-guess passwords (e.g. using a combination of letters and numbers), and never share your password with anyone, even family members.

– Many businesses require that you use 128-bit encryption to access secure websites. Update your Web browser on a frequent basis to ensure you are using the latest browser technology and the highest encryption level.

– Always ensure that you are in a secure environment. Look for the closed-lock or unbroken-key icons on your browser when entering credit-card or other sensitive data. Also make sure that the website address in the address bar begins with https rather than just http. If you don’t see these or if you see a broken key or the open padlock, your transaction is not being securely transmitted across the Internet. (However, in the case of the Silentbanker Trojan, this won’t help because even though a hacker can be eavesdropping on the transaction, the site will still show the security symbols).

– Use common sense and be aware of potential security leaks. You wouldn’t give information to just anyone in the off-line world. Apply the same discretion online.

– Monitor the transactions in your bank account and report anything unusual to your financial institution right away.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

 

Sophisticated virus can clean out accounts without owners suspecting

Gillian Shaw
Sun

In what is being billed as one of the most sophisticated cyber attacks to hit the Internet, a virus has been released that gets between computer users and their banking websites, giving thieves free rein to drain accounts and wreak financial havoc on their victims.

Dubbed the “Silentbanker,” the virus is a Trojan horse computer users may unknowingly download by simply browsing the Internet. The first sign it’s at work may be a bank notification warning their client has been a victim of fraud.

More than 400 banks — including some in Canada — have been targeted worldwide by the virus, which operates in many languages, said Symantec, a global security company tracking the progress of the Trojan.

“I’d have to say it is one of the most sophisticated we have seen. What makes it more dangerous is it seems to be staffed by professional software developers,” said Al Huger, vice-president for security response and security services at Symantec.

“They are writing this and maintaining it just like they would a piece of software you might buy. There is a lot of money on the line for them. It is certainly organized.”

Unlike conventional cyber-banking frauds — in which bank clients are steered to a bogus website masquerading as their own institution’s online site — Silentbanker uses the genuine bank website and is able to manipulate the user’s account without the client’s knowledge.

Payments are steered into a hacker’s account, or cleaned out altogether, before transactions can be encrypted.

It can also be used to steal credit card information and passwords.

When a banking client signs on to their banking website, the hacker is a silent third party, remaining completely hidden and making no changes at all to the site the banking client is seeing. All the functions, from transferring funds to paying bills or checking credit card balances, remain the same and continue to work, thereby giving the user no cause to suspect they’ve been compromised.

“What they are doing is they are already on your computer, and when you type on your computer [the hackers] are sitting between your keyboard and the bank,” said Huger. “They are intercepting everything you send to your bank and everything your bank sends to you. It is called a man-in-the-middle attack.”

Huger said the current attack has been under way for about four days, and while he said Symantec has seen it try to infect thousands of its customers, the company’s security software has stymied the attempts.

A Symantec security team member said the virus is not just targeting large American banks, but financial institutions around the world, particularly in Europe.

Computer users who don’t have up-to-date anti-virus security software installed, or who haven’t updated their web browser to fix flaws that are allowing the Trojan to proliferate, are particularly open to attack.

“[Silentbanker] sits on the website, and unbeknownst to you it downloads to your system,” said Huger, who added the hackers behind Silentbanker are probably also trying to send the virus out via e-mail.

Huger said the download could originate from many legitimate websites.

“It is the complete gamut — from gaming sites to porn sites to home-craft sites,” he said. “Whoever is doing this is actually breaking into a lot of legitimate sites and placing it there.”

The Bank of Montreal said Wednesday it had not heard of the virus threat, but would be investigating. Calls made to other major Canadian banks were not returned.

WHAT TROJAN.SILENTBANKER IS CAPABLE OF:

– When the virus installs itself, the web addresses for 400 different banks are downloaded to the victim computer.

– When the user tries to visit his/her bank’s site, the virus impersonates the real customers by sending the attacker’s account details instead.

– It appears to the user to be a normal transaction, but your money is being stolen.

– The virus steals passwords for file transfer tools, e-mail, and storage.

– The addresses of hundreds of other legitimate websites that you might visit are illegitimately placed in your computer.

– Hundreds of pornographic websites may be shown to you (so the attacker can make money from the referrals).

– If you think you have found and removed the virus, it may still be functioning because it has changed your Internet account’s domain name server (DNS) settings.

– A user’s DNS settings can be changed (to 85.255.116.133 or 85.255.112.87 – although Trojan.Silentbanker is elusive and this information may already be out of date).

– Your computer can be turned into a web server to further enable the virus’s illegal activity.

http://www.symantec.com/enterprise/security_response/weblog/2008/01/ banking_in_silence.html, Vancouver Sun

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

 

Canadian site’s numbers grow as others decline

Misty H
Sun

Although it’s too early to declare full-fledged Facebook fatigue, the writing on the wall — metaphorically and literally, since site members use a “Wall” to communicate — suggests disenchantment among the ranks.

According to traffic monitor Alexa Internet, page views on the social networking site are down one per cent over the last three months as of Jan. 16. By contrast, rival Canadian site Nexopia, which launched a year earlier and is arguably more vulnerable to user ennui, continues to trend upward.

The Alberta-based site, which caters to the 14 to 20 demographic, has seen page views climb 31 per cent over the same three-month period, with members — nine in 10 of them Canadian — up nearly 20 per cent.

It may be as simple as the first law of nature: Teenagers, as a matter of self-preservation, don’t want to be where their parents are.

“My school friends have Nexopia, but my work friends have Facebook,” says Megan Adkin, a 16-year-old from Edmonton. Because Adkin’s mom and dad are among her “friends” on the latter site — meaning both can freely view anything posted on her page — she restricts most of her personal exchanges to Nexopia.

“It’s not like I’m trying to hide stuff from my parents,” says Adkin. “It’s just keeping some things on a different level.”

If Facebook — with 60 million members, seven million of them Canadian — has become the national water cooler for adults, Nexopia is the corner convenience store attracting their pierced and tattooed kids. The Canadian site now has 1.2 million members, only six per cent of whom are 23 or older.

“We’re like the rock and roll Facebook,” says Nexopia spokesman Chris Webster.

Part of Nexopia’s appeal to young people is that it allows them to employ usernames.

While Facebook members register using their legal names, Nexopia members can adopt online handles known only to their circle of friends.

“They can express who they are without having to feel like they’re exposing themselves,” Webster says.

Nexopia got its start when founder Timo Ewalds was in Grade 12 and his school banned floppy disks as a security measure. He created the site as a way to send files home and soon saw the potential for interacting with friends.

By the time Ewalds was in university, the project had grown to the point that he dropped out of school to foster Nexopia full time.

The updated site will include, among other things, more application options — a somewhat unexpected step, given the criticism Facebook has taken for its ubiquitous third-party applications.

Facebook currently offers more than 13,000 applications that members cannot only download themselves but also encourage friends to download. Given a large enough friend list, the cumulative effect can be dozens of spam-like application invites a week.

Nevertheless, many Facebook members stand by the site, which despite recent controversies continues to attract some of the heaviest traffic in the country.

“I’ll admit, the millions of application invitations can get annoying,” says Jennifer Baxter, who has accounts on both sites. “But with the lack of anonymity on Facebook, you get a lot less ‘creepers’ and random — sometimes very inappropriate — messages.”

Baxter, 19, also dislikes Nexopia’s “plus” option, which for $5 a month allows members to see who’s been looking at their page and how often.

“A lot of users just want to browse around and check out pages without having to worry if the page they’re going to is a ‘plus’ user,” says the Sherwood Park, AB, girl.

“(They worry) they’ll get spammed and called a ‘page creeper’ because they didn’t feel compelled to leave a comment or send a message.”

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

 

Edward C. Baig
USA Today

Digital cameras tend to be delicate. The LCD display and lens on my pricey Canon point-and-shoot were damaged recently because I had the audacity to carry a pocket-size camera, minus a case, in well, my pocket. A second Canon died when I dropped it in a kiddie pool.

Such incidents didn’t stop me from rough-housing with yet another pocket-size point-and-shoot, the $300 Olympus Stylus 790 SW. Olympus markets the camera as a durable alternative to rivals from Canon, Nikon, Sony and Kodak.

The Stylus is tough, at least based on my rigorous tests. The camera is waterproof to a depth of just under 10 feet. (Olympus sells a $300 underwater housing for divers who want to plunge a lot deeper.) It’s shock-resistant to 5 feet, and dustproof, too. And it can handle temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

To be sure, the Stylus got a little nicked up as I dropped it, kicked it and got it wet. But I could continue to snap and view pictures. That makes it a fine choice for casual shutterbugs who want to snap away while snorkeling, skiing, sledding or engaging in other outdoor activities.

Here’s a closer look.

•The torture chamber. OK, Olympus dared me. To gauge the camera’s ruggedness, I ran it through a battery of tests. I played catch with a colleague, submerged the Stylus in a bathroom sink and put it in a bucket of ice for a minute or so. Several times I intentionally dropped it onto a hilly San Francisco street.

And the Stylus survived perhaps the most torturous test of all: I placed it in the hands of a 4-year-old.

Best I can tell, my recklessness didn’t void any warranties. But Olympus says you will violate the warranty if you, say, open the battery door underwater or drop the camera from a height much more than 5 feet.

•Body armor. You’re likely thinking that a sturdy and resilient camera must weigh a ton or be housed in hideous-looking armor. Stylus is constructed of metal, all right, but it’s a decent-looking camera that weighs less than 5 ounces. My test unit was lime green, but it is available in several other colors.

Olympus took several measures to shield the camera from harm. There’s a floating internal circuit board. The housing for all internal components was cast from one mold, as opposed to several separate pieces riveted together. That reduces the likelihood, Olympus says, of small breaches or fractures. Seals and gaskets are waterproof. And there’s a water-repellant lens coating.

What’s more, the lens is less likely to suffer damage because it doesn’t protrude, as lenses on many other cameras do. Even so, Olympus oddly sells a $15 optional silicone skin to protect it against bumps and scratches.

•Taking pictures. I snapped several pictures and short video clips, and on that important score, the 7.1-megapixel model produced perfectly fine, if not exceptional, results. The camera did inadvertently snap at least one picture after hitting the ground, but as with any digital camera you can instantly dispose of duds.

Stylus has several useful features common to digital cameras nowadays, including image stabilization (to protect you from the shakes) and face detection (for properly focusing on your subjects’ mugs). It also has a fairly standard 3X optical zoom and more than two-dozen different shooting modes.

Still, some features are missing. I wish the camera had an optical viewfinder rather than making me frame the shots on its 2.5-inch LCD display, which is difficult to make out in direct sun. But I can’t hammer Olympus too hard, because a lot of other point-and-shoots are designed these days without a viewfinder.

I had other quibbles: I’m not crazy about the placement of the zoom controls on the upper portion of the camera’s back side. I’d prefer the controls to be on the top. The onscreen menus could be more intuitive.

And Olympus (along with Fujifilm) continues to use a small proprietary memory card type called xD rather than the more universal Secure Digital, or SD, cards.

I had a slight issue with shutter lag, the time it takes to capture an image after snapping a picture. The lag was a moment longer than on my compact Canon digital camera. That’s a problem when you’re trying to get your kids to pose.

The battery could also last longer. Olympus says you’ll get about 200 pictures on a charge, but my battery pooped out after less than half that. It takes about five hours to charge the battery again.

Overall, the Stylus 790 is an excellent choice for people who tend to be hard on their high-tech gear. Though not bulletproof, it’s a good-looking and reasonably priced camera that should more than survive the rigors of an active lifestyle.

 

Grant Surridge and Barbara Shecter
Sun

It is inevitable that B.C.-based Telus Corp. will switch its wireless network to the more widely used GSM technology — the kind needed to provide service for Apple Inc.’s iPhone — although observers say the costly move may be several years away.

And that may not be quick enough to cash in on the iPhone, which one analyst predicted could become available in Canada as soon as today.

GSM is the primary platform used on cellphone networks outside North America. Rogers Communications Inc. is the only Canadian telecom employing the technology.

This means it can offer subscribers a wider range of cellphones than its rivals Telus and Bell Mobility that use the CDMA platform, and take a bigger chunk of international roaming fees from visitors to Canada.

Telus will undoubtedly switch to GSM within five years when they upgrade their network to the next generation, 4G, to accommodate higher data transmission speeds.

Bell Mobility’s parent company, Bell Canada Inc., is preoccupied with a lengthy privatization bid and isn’t likely willing to share the cost. Bell Mobility is Canada‘s third wireless player, although the federal government will auction off wireless spectrum for a fourth entrant this year.

The cost for Telus to switch its network to GSM is believed to be between $400 million and $500 million.

Shares of Rogers were down as much as five per cent on Monday following a weekend news report that Telus executives are considering making the GSM upgrade.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky issued a note suggesting Apple Inc. could unveil its wildly popular iPhone in Canada as early as today. Rogers is the only Canadian carrier capable of offering the iPhone, which is configured for GSM technology.

It would take Telus up to two years to build out GSM coverage in Canada‘s urban areas alone, he said, and even then it would not enjoy the monopolistic pricing and product clout that makes GSM a bonus for Rogers.

However, an industry consultant said that every year Telus delays the decision, it is losing potential revenue.

“There’s about $500-million worth of revenue that Rogers gets that the other guys don’t get a chance at,” said Eamon Hoey of Hoey Associates, referring to Telus and Bell.

Telus spokeswoman Julie Smithers declined to comment Monday.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

 

Sun

Flaik, $6 per day rental

Take to the snow like an Olympic athlete with this real-time GPS tracking device that lets you clock your snowboarding or skiing speed, distance and altitude. Activated by a cellphone, the flaik uses a custom-built “tag” that rents for $6 a day and is worn by skiers and boarders. It automatically uploads information over a wireless network to the rider’s profile on flaik.com. The flaik was launched recently by the Australian-based SnowSports Interactive at Sun Peaks Resort in B.C. where the tags are available for daily rental. Check out the snow at:

www.sunpeaksresort.com

You can and find a flaik demo at www.flaik.com

Archos TV+, from $250

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was the launching pad for this year’s new products, and among the many items being introduced is this WiFi digital video recorder (DVR) from Archos. It works as both a television recording device and a wireless receiver for your TV. With an 80-GB version at $250 and a 250-GB at $350 this WiFi enabled recorder turns your TV into a Web surfer, lets you stream music and photos from your computer, download online movies, and watch Internet videos. Also record up to 700 hours of TV programming. It comes with a QWERTY keyboard remote control. Expected on shelves at Best Buy Canada, through Amazon and the Archos website at www.archos.com

Wireless-G Internet Home Monitoring Camera with Audio, Linksys, $120

I spy with my little eye — everything that’s going on at home with the latest wireless device from Linksys that streams live video over the Internet. This camera differs from standard webcams in that it’s designed to contain its own web server and can connect to a network wirelessly or via an Ethernet cable. At home, keep an eye on your vast estate from any PC in the house; when you’re away, stay in touch via the security mode. The camera sends a message with a short video attached to up to three e-mail addresses whenever it detects motion. The recipient can log on to the live video stream and also record the audio/video. Keep an eye on the kids, the cat or the cat burglar (www.linksys.com)

Professional Series, inkjet All-in-One line, starting at $100

Lexmark Canada is aiming to address two printing headaches — emptied ink cartridges, and a lack of tech support when things go awry — with its new Professional Series lineup for SOHO users. The banner printer in this series is the Lexmark X9575 wireless AIO at $250, and the budget entry version is the X5075 AIO at $100. All come with high-yield ink cartridges with twice the ink of the company’s regular cartridges, and lifetime priority phone support (www.lexmark.com)

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

The latest thing, at least for today

Steve Makris
Province

LAS VEGAS — If you just bought a cutting-edge high-definition TV, I have bad news for you. The edge just got a bit sharper.

New life-like organic light-emitting diode and 82-inch quadruple full high-definition TVs from Samsung will make today’s models look like cave paintings.

Don’t cry. You can guide your remote-controlled robotic beer cooler (from Toronto-based Interactive Toy Concepts) right to your TV couch and drown your sorrows away.

Such over-the-top technologies are here at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show.

You may not need a TV that’s sharper than most digital cameras, but if you are looking for a better mousetrap, you will surely beat a path to one of the 2,700 exhibitors taking up more than 35 football fields of show space. Anything that uses electricity is here — much of it finding new ways to use today’s technology.

The Spot Satellite Messenger, for example, could be a real lifesaver. The palm-sized device works anywhere using GPS technology. For $149, you can e-mail home preprogrammed messages or simply press the OK button to tell someone who cares that you are safe. Your location or hike progress can also be tracked online with Google Maps. In an emergency, pressing the 911 button alerts rescue services worldwide to find you within three metres.

Green technology is everywhere, from new computers being built with non-hazardous materials to the eco-leading battery-saving Emotion Solar Portable media player, which plays songs, movies, audio books and charges other small devices such as cellphones, laptops and digital cameras.

© The Vancouver Province 2008

 

Province

LAS VEGAS — Imagine being able to download a movie in four minutes. That’s what’s possible with new technology unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday — technology that makes so-called high-speed Internet 10 times faster than today.

Comcast Corp., the largest U.S. cable company, plans to roll out the new service to Americans this year that will hit top speeds of 160 megabits per second, said the company’s chief executive Brian Roberts.

The upgrades use a technology called DOCsis 3.0. Today’s high-speed connections are capable of providing connection speeds of around 10 megabits per second. With the improvements, Comcast can offer speeds in excess of 100 megabits per second when the service launches this summer.

A high-definition copy of the movie Batman Begins was downloaded in less than four minutes. With today’s high-speed Internet networks, it would take about six hours.

Comcast did not announce pricing. Its cable Internet technologies are similar to those used by Rogers Cable in Canada.

© The Vancouver Province 2008